Here's chapter 22! I hope you like it! Please R&R! I do not own anything from The Secret Life Of The American Teenager! Thank you! I really appreciate everyone's reviews! :)
Italics=Grace
Bold=Ricky
Plain=Other characters
The next morning Grace and Ricky walked into church and they saw Kathleen, George, and Tom.
"Good morning you two...How are you?" Kathleen asked smiling.
"We're doing all right." Ricky said happily.
"Umm...Can I talk to you for a minute Ricky?" George asked seriously.
"Of course George." Ricky said as he walked outside with George.
"Why does George want to talk to Ricky?" Grace asked concerned as she looked at Kathleen.
"I don't know honey. Let's find a seat..." Kathleen said as she walked down the aisle with Grace and Tom.
"So Kathleen told me that you asked Grace to move in with you...It's a little soon don't you think?" George asked concerned.
"Uh...Yeah I guess...We talked about it last night and I'm pretty sure Grace isn't ready to move in with me." Ricky said nervously.
"The only way that she is moving in with you is if you two are married. I know you were engaged to Amy when she lived with you but I don't care. I think it's best if you two live together when you're married. Besides, Grace will be fine living at school during the school year and at home during the summer." George explained a little irritated.
"I totally understand George but I want Grace to live with me when she's ready to. We don't have to be married to live with each other. She's also not your daughter just because you remarried Kathleen..." Ricky said stubbornly as he walked back into church.
"Aaargh! Ricky wait just a damn minute!" George said angrily as walked back into church.
The music started to play as Ricky sat next to Grace and George sat next to Kathleen.
"Is everything all right George?" Kathleen asked worried.
"Yeah...I can talk to Ricky again later..." George said as they stood up.
After everyone sang church hymns for about a half an hour Reverend Stone and Jack walked into the front.
"Good morning everyone...You may all be seated. As you may have noticed in your bulletins, we have a special speaker today...My amazing son, Jack Pappas...He is studying to be a minister and I am honored to have him give you the good word of God today." Reverend Stone said smiling.
"Oh my gosh! Are you kidding me? I don't know if I can sit through this..." Grace whispered surprised to Ricky.
"I'm sure you'll be fine Grace. I think this should be interesting." Ricky whispered calmly.
"Yeah Grace...Jack is going to be good..." Tom said smiling.
"Thank you Dad for that great introduction...As he said I am studying to be a minister in college and I am really inspired by God to do this...But before I dive into the scripture today, I just wanted to thank my Dad for encouraging me to be a minister and I also wanted to thank...my ex-fiance...Grace Bowman...Some of you may know her and she's helped me get through a lot of tough times." Jack said a little nervously while he smiled at Reverend Stone and then Grace.
"Oh no...I am so embarrassed..." Grace said quietly as she tried to avoid eye contact with Jack.
"Don't be embarrassed honey...I'm sure Jack will do fine..." Kathleen said as she rubbed Grace's back.
"To begin with...how many of you have been knocked down either physically or mentally? I know I have in both ways...Being a football player, it's not always easy to get back up after you're tackled by someone twice your size. Ha ha..." Jack said confidently as the rest of the church smiled and laughed.
"But I know I am able to get back up on my own two feet because that's what God wants me to do. In the Bible, it's easy to see so many examples of how God helped people like Noah with the flood, David with Goliath, and of course Jesus when He sacrificed Himself on the cross for us...And that's what life is full of...God helping us to get through all the sacrifices and pain that we have to go through...Because of these reasons, I am not ashamed to be on God's team. Romans 1:16 says For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes. Hopefully this verse really hits home for all of you too...I know I've made a lot of mistakes but they haven't stopped me from praising God...About a year ago, I was beat up by a pimp for helping an underage prostitute...I could have died and I am so grateful to be alive...I know this isn't the most Christian thing to do but...Jesus helped prostitutes so I thought why not? I really appreciate everyone who prayed for me to get better...And I couldn't have recovered without the help of my amazing family and friends...Now I know I'm kind of rambling but...I at least hope some of what I'm saying is helping everyone..." Jack said smiling. Everyone clapped to help Jack feel more comfortable.
"Where is he going with this?" Ricky asked Grace confused.
"I have no idea...Hopefully he'll make more sense now..." Grace said a little irritated.
"Thank you...Heh...A way that I have experienced mental pain is...I've had my heart broken several times...I'm sure most of you know how that feels...It's not easy and sometimes it hurts more than physical pain...especially after you lose someone that you love with all your heart..." Jack said sadly as his eyes got watery.
Oh please...Give it up Jack... Grace rolled her eyes as she stared at Jack.
"But...complaining about it will not make my life better...I know God will help me to move on no matter how hard it is...If it wasn't for...Grace... I wouldn't be as strong as I am right now...Because of her, I know what a faithful relationship should be like. We made a lot of mistakes, but I know both of us have learned from them..." Jack said honestly.
"Oh, you are so full of crap Jack!" Grace said angrily as she stood up and then she ran out of church.
"Ugh...Come on Grace...Don't do this..." Ricky rolled his eyes as he stood up and went outside.
Everyone starred at them in shock when they left.
"Uh...I'm sorry about that...So anyway..." Jack said awkwardly.
"Grace! What's the matter?" Ricky asked concerned as he saw her with teary eyes on the steps of the church.
"Why is Jack humiliating me in front of the entire church?" Grace asked sadly.
"I didn't think he was humiliating you...He was just being honest...We should go back in there..." Ricky said as he hugged Grace.
"All right...Thanks Ricky..." Grace smiled slowly as she let of Ricky.
"You're welcome. Let's go in..." Ricky said happily as he grabbed Grace's hand.
Meanwhile in New York...
Amy was doing homework while John was playing with toys when Jimmy called.
"Hey Jimmy! How are you?" Amy asked surprised.
"I'm doing all right...Been waiting for you to call me actually..." Jimmy said happily.
"Oh...Heh...That's really sweet...I've been busy with my friends...Somebody keyed Omar's car...It's really sad...Hopefully he'll figure out who did it..." Amy said seriously.
"That is tough...I'm sure he'll be fine...So have you made a decision about Ben?" Jimmy asked concerned.
"Um...Are you still interested in me? I got the feeling that you weren't the other night..." Amy said as she smiled slowly.
"Yeah I am...I think we had a really good connection the first time we went out and...I would love to give you another chance...but only if you're over Ben." Jimmy said sincerely.
"Oh...Well, I would love to give you another chance too! You want to go out tonight?" Amy asked excited.
"Sure. Dinner and a movie around seven? You can just text me your address and I can put it in my GPS." Jimmy said sweetly.
"That sounds great! I'll see you then! Bye Jimmy!" Amy said as she grinned.
"All right. Later Amy!" Jimmy said nicely and hung up.
Meanwhile Ben was working on homework when Leo called him.
"Oh man...Hey Dad..." Ben said annoyed.
"Are you all right Ben? I heard from George that you overdosed on your pills?!" Leo said shocked.
"Yeah I did...I'm sorry Dad...I overheard Amy talking on the phone to Ricky and she asked him if he missed being with her or whatever..." Ben said sadly.
"Geeze Benjamin! That's not why you should take those pills! You could have died! Thank God you're all right!" Leo said worried.
"Oh, so now you care about me? It seems like ever since Mom died, you give everyone anything they want except me!" Ben said as he raised his voice.
"What are you talking about son? I've always cared about you! I try to help people whenever they need it. There's nothing wrong with that! I love you so much Ben! I really do! It breaks my heart to hear you that I don't care about you! I know you've been through a lot which is why I put you on those pills in the first place." Leo said seriously.
"Ricky, Amy, Adrian, and all my other friends have been through a lot too but you didn't put them on pills! Are you saying that I'm not sane enough without them? Amy doesn't want me to take them anymore but I don't know if I can do that!" Ben said stubbornly.
"I didn't have a choice Ben...You were severely depressed after Mercy died and...I thought the pills would help you recover...I know Adrian was very upset too but...I'm not a doctor...I can't prescribe everyone pills if I think they need them...Your doctor recommended them...It's up to you if you want to keep taking them...You're on you own now, kid...Welcome to the beginning of adulthood. It's not always easy but I think things will get better. I just don't want you to do anything else stupid...I would hate to lose you son..." Leo explained sincerely.
"All right...I'm sorry Dad...Thank you for everything...I'll try to get better...It defiantly isn't easy being on my own for the first time half way across the country from you and my friends...But at least I have Amy to help me and Adrian and Omar..." Ben said calmly.
"I forgive you and you're welcome...It might help if you make some new friends too...I'm going out to lunch with Camille so I'll talk to you later. I just wanted to make sure you're all right." Leo said happily.
"All right...I love you Dad. Talk to you later." Ben said happily.
"I love you too Ben. Bye." Leo hung up.
Adrian and Omar were at a car shop to get Omar's car repainted.
"So...The guy said it's going to take a couple to three hours to repaint the car. Do you want to go to a movie or something?" Omar asked smiling.
"Uh...yeah..." Adrian smiled slowly.
"Is something wrong Adrian? You don't look well...Are you feeling sick?" Omar asked concerned.
"No, I'm fine...I'm just a little tired from last night...Heh..." Adrian smirked.
"Mmm...That was really nice. Let's go then." Omar said happily as he grabbed Adrian's hand and they got in her car.
Meanwhile in California...
"So...did you guys like my sermon?" Jack asked as he walked over to Ricky and Grace at church.
"I liked it a lot...You did amazing Jack." Ricky smiled.
"Yeah...Can I talk to you for a minute?" Grace said as she looked at Jack and then Ricky.
"Oh...yeah...Go ahead...I need to call Amy..." Ricky said awkwardly as he walked away from them.
"You made quite a scene in front of everyone...again..." Jack smirked.
"Ugh...Yeah I know...I wouldn't have done it if you hadn't said all that stuff about me...Why would you do that in front of the entire church?! They don't need to know all about our relationship!" Grace said stubbornly as she crossed her arms.
"Our relationship? Don't you mean our past relationship Grace? I meant every word I said. Besides, I thought it would a good way to encourage people to feel closer to God. I apologize if I upset you, but nobody has inspired me to want to be a minister as much as you have." Jack said seriously.
"Really? I'm not the most Godly example that you could follow..." Grace said sadly.
"Yeah I know but...If it wasn't for you, I probably wouldn't even have a relationship with God right now..." Jack said honestly.
"What are you saying Jack? I remember ignoring God more than you did..." Grace said intensely as she looked into Jack's eyes.
"No...I think both of us didn't ignore God, we just forgot about his plan for us...We were selfish and...after being that way for so long, you made me realize that I need change to be closer to God...Before we graduated, you did become closer to God again like when I first met you...And that really encouraged me to want be a minister...I love how passionate you are about God and I want to be that way too Grace..." Jack said sincerely.
"Aww Jack! You're too sweet...I'm really glad that I encouraged you to be more passionate about God...It's not always easy...And I'm sorry for breaking your heart so many times..." Grace said sweetly as she gave Jack a hug.
"Don't worry about it...You helped me become a better man...And if you ever get bored of Ricky, let me know." Jack smiled as he rubbed Grace's back.
"Heh...Yeah right..." Grace laughed as she let go of Jack.
"I'm kidding...I know you really love him and I'm happy for you both..." Jack said nicely.
"Yeah I do...He's a really great guy and I think it would be amazing if you...baptized him someday." Grace said smiling.
"That would be pretty cool, wouldn't it? If he wants to do that, just let me know. I would be honored to baptize Ricky." Jack said kindly.
"We will...Speaking of Ricky...He told me about the band scholarship...Why did you tell him about that?" Grace asked suspiciously.
"I just thought it would help him save some money...I'm just trying to be nicer to people...That's all Grace. I gotta go so I'll see you later...And I'm glad you're safe after getting kidnapped and everything..." Jack said sweetly.
"Thanks Jack...See you later." Grace sighed as she watched Jack walk towards his car.
"You ready to get some lunch?" Ricky asked happily as he hugged Grace from behind.
"Yeah I am...We could go to my house...I'm sure my Mom is making something amazing." Grace smiled as she leaned her head on Ricky's shoulder.
"Mmm...I bet she is but I was thinking we could go somewhere more romantic." Ricky said sweetly and he gave Grace a kiss on the head.
"Oooh...Sounds good to me. How's Amy doing?" Grace asked concerned as she turned around.
"She didn't answer so I guess she's busy. How was Jack?" Ricky said calmly as he grabbed Grace's hand.
"He's doing really well...I'm glad I inspired him to become a minister...I guess our relationship wasn't for nothing, was it?" Grace said happily.
"Yeah I guess not...He's a really awesome guy and I hope he does become a minister." Ricky said as he opened the door for Grace.
"Thanks Ricky...What do you think about...getting baptized?" Grace asked after Ricky got in the driver's seat.
There's chapter 22! I would have updated sooner but yeah...What's Ricky going to say next? Is Jack really just being a nice guy or is he still not over Grace? Woah Amy! Is she going to break up with Ben for Jimmy? What's up with Adrian? And poor Ben! Is he going to continue with the pills? Stay tuned to find out! There will be some minor characters in the next chapter too! Let me know what you think! Thank you! :)